It may be that the only way for average Americans in the middle of the political spectrum to counteract the polarizing influences of the more extreme factions of the Republican and Democratic parties is to form a new party of their own in the center.

To once again be regarded as a party's most important constituency, rather than a mere afterthought, could certainly hold strong appeal for many Americans.

How about the practical and process-oriented issues?

Finding viable candidates for such a party should not be an insurmountable obstacle.  A number of political figures already on the national scene have demonstrated strong cross-party drawing power.   There also would be no initial need for these politicians to make a risky jump from their existing parties, provided the new centrist party was willing, during its infancy, to simply endorse candidates from the traditional parties.

In terms of their usefulness as political field troops, the adherents of a new centrist party might not be willing to give up as much of their personal time to go out and ring doorbells and circulate candidate petitions as the zealots of the left and right in our traditional parties.  But if not much of anybody in the new party has this kind of fanatical zeal, then no candidate would be at a disadvantage for lack of zealots.

In a new centrist party, the activitists would be interested in the political process, but neither consumed by it nor inclined to make it the cornerstone of their personal identity.  They would thus be more reflective of the electorate at large.

Candidates nominated by such people would be much more likely to hold the kind of broad, unifying appeal our country needs.